At the end of this season, the 15th for the Monarchs in New Hampshire, the team will move to Ontario, California.

The announcement was made Thursday afternoon by the American Hockey League. The Monarchs will be part of the new Pacific Division in the AHL. The Worcester Sharks will also be one of the five AHL teams moving west, heading to San Jose.

The Los Angeles Kings had reportedly been seeking to move their AHL franchise to southern California for several years, and Thursday marked the culmination of those efforts.

Hockey fans aren't so sure about trading places.

"I'm a big time hockey fan so I don't want to see them leave," Stacey Loranger said.

As for the future of hockey in Manchester, the Monarchs will hold a press conference Friday, and News 9 has learned they will announce that the East Coast Hockey League affiliate of the Kings, the Ontario Reign, will be moving to Manchester.

Once it moves to Manchester, the team will be called the Monarchs and will have a six-year lease with the Verizon Wireless Arena.